Toy



J. C. TURNER.

I TOY. APPLICATION man MAR. 12. 1920.

1,382,812, Patented June 28, 1921.

UEJOEJCIDDOE] INVENTOR. Jahw C 771802.38.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. TURNER, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1921.

Application filed March 12, 1920. Serial No. 365,134.

Z '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN C. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to toys and is in the nature of an improvement upon the toy of Patent No. 1318708 granted to me October 14, 1919.

The toy of that patent comprised a car adapted to travel back and forth between two stations, one of which was provided with a spring actuated projecting device to impart the necessary movement to the car. The projecting device comprised a plunger capable of a slight pivotal movement to enable the shank thereof to be moved into and out of engagement with the detent and the head of the plunger was so arranged that when the shank was in engagement with the detent the head would set at a slight inclination to the vertical so that when the car came in contact with the plunger it would rock the same about its pivotal support and release the same from the detent, thus permitting the spring to operate the same. This device operates very satisfactorily under ordinary conditions but the releasing means is not sufiiciently sensitive to insure the releasing of the plunger under all con ditions and one object of the present invention is to provide such a toy with releasing means which will be very easily operated and which will serve to release the plunger when very little force is applied thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for regulating the tension of the spring, so as to control the force with which the projecting device engages the car.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the mechanism is described in detail.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a toy embodying my invention, partly broken away Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a projecting device for such a toy showing a slightly different form of regulating device for the spring; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the device of Fig. 2

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, together with a, slight modification thereof. and have shown the same in connection with a track 1 along which travels a car 2. It will be understood, however, that the track and the car may be of any suitable character and that any device capable of being actuated in the manner hereinafter set forth will be the equivalent of the car and that any means for guiding such a movable device will be the equivalent of the track. Mounted near one end of the track is a projecting device which preferably comprises a plunger consisting of a head 3 and a shank 4, the shank being shdably mounted in suitable openings in the front and rear walls of a housing 5. A spring 6 is coiled about the shank of the plunger within the housing and in that form of the device shown in Fig. 1, has one end thereof secured to the front wall of the housing and has its rear end connected to the shank of the plunger so that when the plunger is retracted the spring will be placed under tension. The plunger is capable of a slight pivotal movement about its point of support in the front wall of the housing and is provided with a notch 7 adapted to be moved into engagement with the edge of the opening, or guideway, in the rear wall of the housing, which edge constitutes a detent to retain the plunger in its retracted position. The pivotal movement imparted to the plunger when the notched portion thereof is moved into engagement with the detent causes the plunger head to occupy a position at a slight inclination to the vertical so that when the car moves into engagement with the plunger it will engage the lower portion of the head only and will rock the plunger about its pivotal support to move the notch in the shank out of engagement with the detent, thus releasing the plunger and permitting it to project the car toward the opposite end of the track. The track is provided at its opposite, or remote, end with means for returning the car to the initla station, or projecting device. As here shown, this means comprises a spring 8 which will be engaged by the car and compressed as the latter moves toward the. remote end of the. track and after the outward movement of the. car has been checked will expand to impart return movement to the car. plunger may be retracted in any S ab man er as by s g the shank in the rear of the housing with the nd; but; ha h re wv same as a rearwardly extending portion, or base, 10

seciired to the housing and having an upwardly extending portion loosely connected with the shank of the plunger, as shown at 11. Above its point of connection with the shank the lever is bent rearwardly to provide a handle portion 12, the downward movement of which will retract the plunger and move the notch in the shank thereof into engagement with the detent. The initial movement may be imparted to the car either by pushing the car against the plunger or by lifting the shank of the plunger with the finger. By again retracting the plunger after the car has been projected toward the remote station the projecting device is set in a position to be automatically released by the car upon its return movement, and by retracting the plunger during each period of travel of the car the latter canbe maintained in reciprocatory movement for an indefinite period.

The leverage of the plunger as engaged by the car is short and the car does not always contact with the same with sufficient force to insure the releasing of the shank from the detent and T. have therefore pro vided a releasing device which will be actuated by the car in such a manner as to positively release the shank from'the detent and which will-require but very little force for its operation. As here shown, this releasing, or tripping, device comprises a bar 13 slidably mounted in suitable openings in the front and rear walls of the housing 5 and arranged at an inclination to the horiaontal so that when rearward movement is imparted thereto it will. travel upwardly as well as rearwardly. The rear end of the tripping bar is arranged beneath the edge of the shank of the plunger and is preferably provided with a stop 14 which engages the rear wall of the housing to hold the same normally in a position adjacent to, but

out of contact with, said shank. The tripping bar is provided at its forward end with an upwardly extending port-ion 15 which is arranged in the path of the-car as the latter approaches the projecting device. l hen the car engages the part 15 of the tripping bar the latter is moved rearwardly and upwardly and caused to engage; the shank of the plunger just in the rear of the notch therein, thus lifting the same to release the notch from the detent,,and very little force is required to impart thereto the movement necessary to release the plunger.

The spring 6 must be of sufficient strength to cause the car to engage the spring 8 and compress the same-but the plunger must not engage the car withtoo much force or the latter will be thrown off the track. In or der to compensate for the variations which may exist in the strength of different springs, as well as to accommodate the springs to different working conditions, I have provided a device for regulating the tension of the spring. This device preferably comprises a part connected with the spring and adjustable longitudinally of the plunger to regulate the tension of the spring. As shown in Fig. 1, I have rotatably mounted a rod 16 in the front and rear walls of the housing 5, the rear end of the rod projecting beyond the rear wall of the housing and being provided with a head 17 by means of which the rod will be rotated. A portion of the rod lying within the housing provided with screw threads 18 and has mounted thereon a block, or nut, 19 provided with an upwardly extending arm 20 having an opening through which one coil of the spring extends. As here shown, the adjustable member 20 is connected with the spring between the first and second coils thereof, but obviously it may be connected with the spring at any suitable point. The

rotation of the rod, or adjusting member,

16 will impart movement to the adjustable part and thereby regulate the tension of the spring. In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown a slight modification of the tension regulating device. .As shown in these figures a rod, or bar, 21 is slidably mounted in the front and rear wallsof the housing 5 and has secured thereto an adjustable member 22 which is here shown in the form of a plate slidabl y mounted on the shank 4c of the plunger and to which the end of the spring connected. By actuating the adjusting member, or rod, 21, the adjustable member, or plate, 22 can be moved toward or from the front wall. of the housing and the tension of the spring thereby regulated. Any suitable means may be provided for retaining the adjusting member, or rod, 21 in its adjusted position. As here shown it is provided in its lower edge with a series of notches 23 each adapted to embrace the lower edge of the opening in the front wall of the housing in which the rod is slidably mounted. 4

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur toa person skilled in the art. i

Having now fully, described my invention what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis: v s 1. In a toy, the combination with a spring actuated plunger to impart movement to a car, andmeans to retain said plunger in a retracted position, of a tripping device mounted adjacent to said plunger and having a part extending slightlybeyondthe end thereof and. arranged to be actuated by the car as the latter approaches said plunger to cause said plunger to be released from said retaining device.

2. In a toy, the combination with a spring actuated plunger to impart movement to a car, and a detent, said plunger having a part to engage said detent and retain said plunger in a retracted positiomofa tripping 7 device arranged to be actuated by the car as the latter approaches said plunger to move said part of said plunger out of engagement with said detent.

3. In a toy, the combination with a spring actuated plunger to impart movement to a car, and a detent, said plunger being capable of pivotal movement about a transverse axis and having a part to engage said detent to retain said plunger in a retracted position, of a tripping device arranged to be actuated by said car as the latter approaches said plunger to move said plunger about said axis and disengage the same from said detent.

4. In a toy, the combination with a housing having a part forming a detent and a spring actuated plunger slidably mounted in said housing and having a part movable into and out of engagement with said detent, of a tripping device movably mounted on said housing, having a part arranged to be engaged by a car as the latter approaches said plunger, and having another part arranged to engage said part of said plunger to release the same from said detent.

5. In a toy, the combination with a housing having a part forming a detent and a spring actuated plunger slidably mounted in said housing and having a part movable into and out of engagement with said detent, of a tripping device slidably mounted in said housing and having its front end arranged to be actuated by a car as the latter approaches said plunger and having its rear end arranged to be moved into engagement with said plunger to move said part thereof out of engagement with said detent.

6. I11 a toy, the combination with a hous-- ing having a part forming a detent and a spring actuated plunger slidably mounted in said housing and having a part movable into and out of engagement with said detent, of a tripping bar slidably mounted in said housing for movement rearwardly and upwardly relatively to said plunger and having its rear end supported normally adjacent to but out of engagement with said plunger and having its "forward end arranged in the path of a car as the latter approaches said plunger.

7. In a toy a plunger to impart move ment to a car, a spring to actuate said plunger, a regulating device connected with said spring, and means for adjusting said regulating device.

8. In a toy, a plunger to impart movement to a car, a spring to actuate said plunger, a normally stationary part connected with said spring, and means for adjusting said part.

9. In a toy, a plunger to impart movement to a car, a spring for actuating said plunger, an adjusting member, a part mounted on said member and connected with said spring, said adjusting member having means for moving said part lengthwise of said spring and for holding the same normally against such movement.

10. In a toy, a plunger to impart movement to a car a spring for actuating said plunger, a movable member mounted adjacent to said spring, and a part connected with said spring and mounted on said movable member and adapted to be moved lengthwise of said plunger by the movement of said member.

11. In a toy, a plunger to impart movement to a car, a spring for actuating said plunger, an adjusting member rotatably mounted adjacent to said spring and having a screw threaded part, and a nut mounted on said screw threaded part and having a part connected with said spring.

In testimony whereof, I aiiiX my signature hereto.

J OHNC. TURNER. 

